Description
Book SynopsisThis edited volume presents thirteen contributions that reflect upon the practical, ethical, theoretical and methodological challenges that researchers face when conducting fieldwork in settings that are characterized with deteriorating security situations, increasing state control and conflicting inter-ethnic relations. More precisely, they shed light to the intricacies of conducting fieldwork on highly politicized and sensitive topics in the region of Kurdistan in Iraq, Syria and Turkey as well as among Kurdish diaspora members in Europe.
This volume is multidisciplinary in its focus and approach. It includes contributions from scholars from various disciplinary backgrounds, ranging from sociology and political science to social psychology and anthropology. The complexity of security situations, and the atmospheres of distrust and suspicion have led the contributors to be creative and to adapt their research methods in ways that at times transcend disciplinary
Trade ReviewThis book is a timely and much-needed contribution to the growing literature on methodological and ethical challenges involved in conducting research in conflict settings. With a wide range of outstanding contributions from leading scholars, the volume fills an important gap on how ethnographic knowledge is primarily shaped by power relations. It serves as a stark reminder of the need to go beyond a standardized, one-size-fits-all approach to studying complex conflict environments. It is a vital resource for students and scholars of Kurdish studies, Middle Eastern studies, and those interested in conducting research in conflict zones. -- Mehmet Gurses, Florida Atlantic University
Methodological Approaches in Kurdish Studies: Theoretical and Practical Insights from the Field is not only a must read for those interested in Kurdish Studies, but is a reference book for doing research in politically sensitive and unstable contexts. Contributors from various social science disciplines present objective and creative methodologies spanning from ethnographic to archival data. It is the first book in Kurdish Studies on the practical, ethical, theoretical, epistemological, and methodological challengesresearchers face and the innovative solutions they come up with while working in and about the “stateless” Kurds in Turkey, Syria, Iraq and diaspora. -- Ayşe Betül Çelik, Sabancı University
This massive volume not only opens new methodological, theoretical and epistemological avenues in the Kurdish studies, but also questions the very meaning of producing social sciences on the “risky” topics of the 21
st Century. -- Hamit Bozarslan, École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales
For understandable reasons, the field of Kurdish Studies has long been dominated by an overt focus on the politics of the Kurdish Question and Kurdish identity. This has, however, resulted in the neglect of other important areas that merit scholarly attention. For some time, Kurdish studies has lacked self-reflective, critical research on the practice and politics of knowledge production within this field. This well-written edited volume, the first of its kind, makes a timely contribution to our understanding of the practical, methodological and epistemological challenges faced by scholars of Kurdish Studies. -- Welat Zeydanlioglu, Kurdish Studies Network
Table of ContentsCh. 1: Critical Ethnography: Emancipatory Knowledge And Alternative Dialogues
Vera Eccarius-Kelly
Ch. 2: Living Structures: Methodological Considerations On People And Place
Joost Jongerden
Ch. 3: Online-Offline Research On Diasporic Identities: Methodological Benefits, Challenges and Critical Insights
Jowan Mahmod
Ch. 4: Tracing Global History Through The Kurds In The Imperial And National Archives And Beyond
Marc Sinan Winrow
Ch. 5: Troubled Terrain: Lines of Allegiance and Political Belonging in Northern Kurdistan
Marlene Schäfers
Ch. 6: Working Upon the Communities under the Political Domination: Subaltern Kurds in Turkey
Polat Alpman
Ch. 7: Feeling Solidarity in An Estranged City: Ethnography In The Post-War Diyarbakır Under Surveillance
Demet Arpacik
Ch. 8: Outsiders Twice Over in Kurdistan
Francis O’Connor And Semih Celik
Ch. 9: The Omnipresent Absentee? Challenges In Researching The Kurdistan Workers’ Party In Europe And Turkey
Marlies Casier
Ch. 10: “She's Turkish but Good”: Researching On Kurdish Internal Displacement As A ‘Turkish’ Female Researcher
Yesim Mutlu
Ch. 11: Straddling The Insider-Outsider Divide: Challenges Of Turkish Identity As An Outsider Researcher In The Kurdish Context
Yasemin Gulsum Acar And Ozden Melis Ulug
Ch. 12: Beyond The Insider-Outsider Dichotomy: Conducting Ethnographic Fieldwork As A Kurdish Returnee In Iraqi Kurdistan
Lana Askari
Ch. 13: Embedded Research and Political Violence: Kurdish Studies In Conflict Areas
Thomas Schmidinger
Conclusion: Reflections on Research: Challenges And Opportunities
Begum Zorlu and Yasin Duman
